When The Rain Falls
by Mazuiko
Summary: ZabuzaKakashi. It's been 2,000 years since the incident on the Bridge. Kakashi lives in a housing unit in downtown Tokyo. Enter Zabuza, a gunforhire who is more than willing to help out. The problem? Zabuza's intentions are not what they seem...R&R!
1. Hello

_**Hello**_

Kakashi Hatake had to hurry. He was a twenty-six year old who had to work for a house owner in order to pay off his living expenses. Living in someone else's building wasn't free, and he wasn't the only one. People who couldn't even afford apartments were allowed to live in the building on the condition that they worked in and around the house to pay off the expenses. He didn't mind, it was just that he had been living in the building since he was sixteen, and he was very close to paying off his agreement. Ten years meant thousands of dollars to pay off, but Kakashi was so close he could pay it off within the next two months. Saving up money for an apartment made paying it off harder, but after ten years Kakashi was willing to wait a little longer to move out on his own. People under sixteen lived in the building for free, but once he no longer fit that definition, he started working. Finally, his work was going to pay off.

He took the time he needed to look out of his first floor room window and notice a black Honda Civic next to the building. _'I've never seen that car around here before…and it's just sitting there. Whose car is that?'_ Kakashi quickly dismissed the matter and gathered his things so that he could clean up his section of the building. Gai had the section on the other side of the building, so Kakashi didn't have to worry about Gai interrupting his reading with yet another cleaning challenge. He got to work with sweeping the floor, but his solitude didn't last long as the front door opened to reveal a six foot tall tanned man, who Kakashi noticed had no eyebrows. _'He is kind of handsome for a person with no eyebrows…wait, why is he here? He doesn't look homeless to me.'_ The man looked Kakashi over once, then twice, and stopped in front of him.

"Can I help you? If you're looking for a place to stay, you'll need to speak to Tsunade. She's in the office, just walk down the hall and turn left. It's the first room on the right."

"I'm not looking for a place to stay."

Kakashi straightened up from using a dust pan and took a good look at the visitor. The man was wearing black pants and a black tank top. His boots were also black, but Kakashi noticed that he wasn't wearing anything else. He also noticed a pair of hazel eyes traveling from his shoes to his face, stopping only to gaze at his mask.

"That mask isn't for cleaning."

A simple statement, aided only by a calculating stare, glided its way into his ears. Kakashi felt uncomfortable, even with his mask on, so he tried to continue with his work while holding what was supposed to be a decent conversation.

"No, it isn't. It's quite rude not to give your name, you know. Mine is Hatake Kakashi."

"Momochi Zabuza."

A smooth, low rumble flowed out of Zabuza's mouth, and Kakashi thought briefly that he heard something else in the undertone. He soon found himself wishing he had worn something other than a black mask, a black shirt and a pair of jeans. His self-made black headband rested over his left eye, resulting in another quick look-over by Zabuza.

"Excuse me for asking, but what exactly are you here for?"

Zabuza rumbled once more, but he made no move to actually speak. In fact, Zabuza walked past Kakashi towards the office and housing section. _'That was unusual. I wonder what that was about.'_ He shrugged and proceeded to finish cleaning his section. He then visited Tsunade's office, still curious about the purpose of Zabuza's visit. Tsunade was doing paperwork, and her desk was in its usual disarray.

"Tsunade-sama, you didn't happen to have a visitor named Zabuza come by, did you?"

Tsunade cocked an eyebrow in question.

"No. I haven't had any visitors today."

Kakashi was put back for a moment. _'If he didn't come here, then where did he go? I didn't see him leave all day.'_ He went back to his room to make himself some dinner after a long day of cleaning, but he did not find his room in the state he left it in that morning.

Mazuiko: Hello! As always, please let me know if I have any of the characters OOC in any way (please tell me where, how, why, and how I can fix it). For those who either missed an important detail or find my wording confusing, feel free to ask questions. Also, read my profile before making any requests or criticizing me. I have a certain style of writing that I tend to stick to. See ya!!!


	2. Pardon

_**Pardon**_

Kakashi was slightly taken by surprise after seeing Zabuza sitting on the bed in his room; especially since he didn't know how long Zabuza had been there.

"I thought you said you weren't looking for a place to stay."

Zabuza stood from the bed, his expression as solid as stone. Kakashi could tell he wasn't affected by Kakashi's entrance or statement, but his interest wasn't in Zabuza's concealed determination. He had a stranger in his room, and he didn't want to deal with such a situation.

"I'm not."

It was when Zabuza took two steps towards him that Kakashi really needed to know why he was there. Kakashi moved, hoping the brooding man was heading out the doorway, but Zabuza side-stepped him. This action got him curious enough to be patient.

"Then why are you in my room? We don't allow visitors to enter employees' rooms."

He had been expecting a retort, or at least a reply. Instead, he received a steady stare, completely unwavering in its intensity.

"Of course you don't."

Kakashi tilted his head, expecting more out of Zabuza, but could only try to comprehend the conversation in silence. He finally gave in and sighed, allowing himself to be the first one to budge.

"You didn't answer my question."

"I'm quite aware of that."

The dark man's tone was stern. _'He's talking to me like I'm his…subordinate.'_ Subordinate, for a strange reason Kakashi couldn't name, was the word that immediately came to his mind.

"Why are you in my room?"

"I came to see you."

This statement startled Kakashi more than Zabuza's initial presence, although he didn't show it.

"How could you if you don't—"

Zabuza's lack of response was Kakashi's answer.

"—but you do. You know more about me than you first let on."

His visitor's only acknowledgement of the stated fact was a shift in weight. Kakashi sighed again and decided the conversation needed to either die down slowly or stop immediately. If it kept going, Zabuza could get the idea that he didn't mind unwelcome visitors in his room.

"Would you like something to eat?"

The stranger shrugged, apparently unconcerned with the current circumstance he had put himself into. Kakashi was trying to see how much he knew, but getting him to even talk was quite testing.

"How is it that you know so much about me?"

"I watch you."

The complete lack of concern or remorse in Zabuza's voice had Kakashi reeling…and slightly angry. _'Doesn't he mean he __**stalks**__ me?'_

"How much do you know?"

"Enough."

"I was asking for details, actually."

Zabuza closed his eyes, like he was thinking deeply. Kakashi continued to chop up the vegetables he had gathered for dinner, waiting patiently for Zabuza's answer.

"You currently owe Tsunade six hundred yen. Taking into consideration you are making a thousand yen a month, saving up for an apartment and buying food, it will take you about two more months to pay it off. You're twenty-six years old, and your birthday is on the fifteenth of September. Your favorite food is miso soup with eggplant, but you can't stand sweets or tempura—"

'_Everything he knows about me is factual.'_

"--you have moments of insecurity, fear, and vulnerability like everyone else, but you don't want them to know that you're like them. You are quite comfortable with your fearless reputation. Maito Gai tends to annoy you sometimes with his cleaning challenges, but he is the person who is closest to you and understands you best. Also, the fact that I know anything about you personally is slightly disturbing to you."

Kakashi was, for once, impressed. _'Okay, so not __**everything**__ he knows about me is factual.'_

"Odd. You know quite a bit about me, but I know nothing about you except that the black Honda Civic parked outside is yours."

"That's all you need to know."

Kakashi sighed in slight frustration and looked out the window to where he saw Zabuza's car parked before. It was still there, but something was different.

It was raining.

Mazuiko: To answer **mnemosneme**'s question, no, Zabuza does not have his bandages on at the moment. He's a gun-for-hire; he only wears the bandages during one of his jobs. Once again, please let me know if any characters are OOC: if they are, tell me when, how, why, and how I can fix it. Thanks!


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